In the courtyard, as Xiao Yan finished speaking, the air seemed to freeze.
"Boom!"
The next moment, an overwhelming aura of Dou Zong erupted from Medusa's body.
The aura was like a long-dormant volcano suddenly erupting, with scalding lava carrying a devastating force that crushed towards Xiao Yan.
The bluestone pavement in the courtyard creaked under the immense pressure, and small cracks appeared on the edges of several loose slabs.
The surface of the hot teapot on the stone table rippled with increasingly dense circles.
The branches of the old locust tree drooped slightly under the weight, and a few leaves finally couldn't hold on any longer and fell from the branches, swirling and drifting down in mid-air.
The terrifying aspect of this aura lies not in its vastness, but in its precision.
Medusa precisely locked all her pressure onto Xiao Yan alone, leaving the flowers and plants in other parts of the courtyard completely unaffected.
This is the unique control of Dou Zong powerhouse, who can contain their power to the smallest detail, without leaking or missing a single bit.
In Xiao Yan's perception, a violent aura, like a raging flood or a ferocious beast, emanated from Medusa.
Ordinary Dou Qi aura pressure is like a mountain pressing down on you, heavy, overwhelming, and making it hard to breathe.
But Medusa's oppressive aura was like a venomous snake coiling around the heart, cold, deadly, and causing every nerve to involuntarily tense up.
Xiao Yan could even feel his soul trembling slightly under this pressure, an instinctive awe from the depths of his soul when facing a higher level of life.
Her beautiful eyes were now fixed coldly on Xiao Yan.
Those eyes still possessed that breathtaking beauty; the narrow, snake-like pupils were a pale gold, with a faint wisp of seven-colored light flowing deep within them.
But at this moment, there was no warmth in those eyes, only pure, undisguised, icy killing intent.
That wasn't anger, nor was it disgust; it was a condescending scrutiny.
Like Medusa perched on a throne, coldly observing a reckless intruder.
Being stared at by such eyes would send a chill down anyone's spine from the base of their spine all the way to the back of their head.
"Da da da..."
Medusa's gaze was icy, and her entire body exuded a chilling killing intent.
Her killing intent was completely different from that of the Titled Douluo in the Douluo Continent.
The killing intent of Titled Douluo is forged through countless battles, carrying the scent of blood and gunpowder.
Medusa's murderous aura, however, was pure and primal instinct, the majesty accumulated by the Snake-People Tribe queen over hundreds of years, and the ancient memories flowing in the bloodline of the Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python.
She doesn't need to fight to prove herself; her very existence is a deterrent.
His gaze fell on Xiao Yan, scrutinizing him from head to toe.
This young man in black robes, who looked exactly like Xiao Huohuo, made her feel an inexplicable sense of unease from the very first time they met.
It wasn't because of his face, which was exactly the same as Xiao Huohuo's, but because of the energy fluctuations within him that were incompatible with this world.
As she gradually walked towards Xiao Yan, a crisp sound rang out in the courtyard.
Each step was crisp and rhythmic, like the beat of some ancient ritual.
The sound echoed in the quiet courtyard, gradually synchronizing with Xiao Yan's heartbeat; each tap felt like a blow to his heart.
She walked slowly, each step unhurried, but it was precisely this composure that was more suffocating than any sudden burst of speed.
She stopped three steps away from Xiao Yan, her narrow, snake-like eyes slightly narrowed, looking down at the black-robed youth sitting on the stone bench from her perspective.
"Who gave you permission to speak to me like that?"
Her voice wasn't loud, but it was like a dagger made of solidified ice, each word piercing precisely into the depths of Xiao Yan's soul.
There was no questioning, no anger in his tone, only a sense of self-righteous authority.
She is the queen of the Snake-People Tribe, the possessor of the Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python bloodline, and an existence standing at the pinnacle of the Dou Qi Continent.
For centuries, those who dared to speak to her in that tone have all turned into skeletons in the Tagor Desert.
No one is worthy to be presumptuous in her presence.
Queen Medusa's fame in the Jia Ma Empire was not solely due to her beauty.
Her stunning beauty, her graceful figure, and the charm she exuded in every gesture were enough to make any man lose his mind.
But what truly made all the powers of the Jia Ma Empire avoid the Snake-People Tribe was her fearsome reputation.
Back then, she led the Snake-People Tribe out of the depths of the Tagor Desert and fought her way out, carving out a territory for the Snake-People Tribe in this dog-eat-dog world.
Countless powerful individuals have died at her hands.
Only because of her special relationship with Xiao Huohuo could she truly be Cai Lin in front of Xiao Huohuo.
When Xiao Huohuo first called her " Cai Lin ", she was stunned for a moment.
Xiao Huohuo was the first and only person to call her by that name.
He was never afraid of her. Whenever she had a cold expression, he would come up to her with a grin and call out " Cai Lin ".
At first, she thought the boy was courting death, but she gradually got used to it.
Later on, if Xiao Huohuo didn't call her, she would feel like something was missing.
But that doesn't mean that everyone can treat her the same way.
Sensing the icy aura emanating from Medusa, Xiao Yan's expression darkened.
He is not someone who would provoke others, but he is also never a pushover.
Medusa's pressure was indeed powerful; that Dou Zong- level aura was like a sharp sword hanging overhead, ready to fall at any moment.
But he is Xiao Yan, the Xiao Yan who fought his way from the Douluo Continent to the Dou Qi Continent, and who never knelt down in the face of that mad old man in the Slaughter City.
He wouldn't grovel just because the other party was Dou Zong, nor would he be subservient just because the other party was Xiao Huohuo's woman.
"Boom!"
Six Soul Ring erupted from Xiao Yan's body.
Yellowish-purple and blackish-black.
It spun and pulsated around him.
Each one exudes an aura unique to the Soul Master system of the Douluo Continent.
That was a power completely different from that of the Dou Qi Continent.
The six Soul Ring, centered on Xiao Yan's body, were arranged in layers along the vertical direction, enveloping his entire body and moving up and down in mid-air with a slow and regular rhythm.
With each pulse, the light of the Soul Ring would brighten briefly, then slowly dim, repeating the cycle endlessly.
Xiao Yan unleashed his Soul Emperor Realm aura without any concealment, as if a volcano that had been suppressed within him for a long time had finally found an outlet.
Although its aura was far less overwhelming than Medusa's Dou Zong pressure, it possessed its own sharp and unparalleled edge.
The original power of the Heavenly Flames Martial Soul continued to rise under the enhancement of the Soul Ring.
The aura emanating from Xiao Yan caused Medusa to narrow her eyes slightly.
However, when facing a Dou Zong expert, Xiao Yan's aura was also at a significant disadvantage.
He was, after all, only Soul Emperor, which, converted to the cultivation level of the Dou Qi Continent, was roughly equivalent to the Dou Huang Realm.
Medusa is a genuine Dou Zong powerhouse. Although she hasn't been at her breakthrough for long, the Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python bloodline flowing through her body is enough to make up for the time difference.
There is a vast chasm between the two, a qualitative difference that cannot be bridged by quantity.
The gap between Dou Emperor and Dou Zong is like the difference between a rushing river and a vast ocean; no matter how wide the river is, it will eventually come to an end.
The sea, however, is boundless and unfathomably deep.